


Apathetic Antithetic

by Blownwish



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: Angst, Implied Slash, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-26
Updated: 2014-03-26
Packaged: 2018-01-17 03:09:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 806
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1371679
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blownwish/pseuds/Blownwish
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ed visits Roy after the final battle.</p><p>Note: This is a fic with implied m/m, if you look hard enough. Fair warning.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Apathetic Antithetic

He had to do it sometime, so he might as well do it now. Not that Edward didn't admire the guy or anything. He just never, well, got along with Lieutenant Colonel Asshole. And he was tired. So damned tired. But he had to do it.

"He will be happy you came by." Ed caught Lieutenant Hawkeye's smile. They stopped at hospital door number thirty-two. Her knock was a discrete tap.

"Come in."

No one else was visiting, just like she promised, and Ed was grateful for that. It took forever for the crowd of people in his own room to get lost. Not that it wasn't nice, the first few hours. Not that the sense of joy and relief wasn't mutual. It was. But it was... exhausting.

Ed noted the nice, big picture window and fancy bed spread. "Room's nicer than mine..." He suppressed a yawn.

"Ah, Fullmetal." Mustang sat up on the mattress, smiled and turned his head in Ed's direction. "Good to know they're not sticking the blind man in a closet." 

"Yeah, well that can be arranged." Ed pulled a chair up to the bed and straddled its back. "So what gives, old man? Heard you're causing trouble." 

"I'll be going, sir." Hawkeye saluted. 

He saluted back. "Thank you, Lieutenant." And then they were alone.

"They official attitude toward the Philosopher's Stones seems tenuous." He laughed as he stared intensely at the wall with unfocused eyes. "If you don't use one you are showing disrespect to the lives sacrificed to make it." 

"So you're not pretending there's another reason." Ed said it as a statement, not a question. "You're... making an outright statement against the use of Philosopher's Stones."

"Impressed?" Roy finally smiled. "I wondered what your reaction would be."

"You could have figured that out without telling, so you also wanted to brag. And yeah, maybe I am a little impressed, given your past record as a self serving ass licker. But not too much."

Roy's eyebrow went up.

"After all Mustang, you are known for doing everything you can to look like a self serving bastard. The fact that you're not is the biggest state secret going. Until now, that is."

"Wow, you almost said something about me. Am I really that pathetic?"

"Hey, that's what you get when you fish for compliments, Mustang." 

They both laughed, then sat silently as a bluejay sang on a tree branch close to Roy's window. This was actually nice. Almost even tolerable. Certainly close to comfortable. Possibly even... Ed closed his eyes and started nodding off.

He was startled awake when Roy said, "You want to resign your commission."

"Gonna try to talk me out of it?" He blinked and rubbed his eyes.

"Yes and no."

"Huh?"

"I am not sure you want to hear my opinion. But I want you to hear it and consider it." He rubbed his eyes.

"You're being direct?" Ed was wide awake. 

His grin was lopsided. "I take it you're interested. I won't tell you my opinion if you don't want it. I will, however, take it as a sign that you intend to resign."

"And there's the catch." Ed yawned. "You know, normally I'd be yelling at this point. But it's just not worth the effort, you know?" He got up. "Good to see you."

"So that's it?" 

"Take it however you want. I'm not stopping you." He trudged to the door, turned around and saluted. "See you around."

"Yeah." His face was blank. "See you."

Ed turned the knob and left. He had no way of knowing Roy was saluting him when he was on the other side of the door. 

\+ +

He leaned against the door. Shoved his hands in his pockets and sighed. 

"Ready to go back to your room?" Lieutenant Hawkeye tipped her chin. "I can walk you back, Major." 

"No, thanks. I'll be okay, Lieutenant." He fingered the pocket watch chain, deep in his pocket. "Glad I got that out of the way. I gotta get back to bed."

"Understood." 

Ed studied the wood grain of his door. "He fights dirty."

"We all fight dirty." She shrugged as if Ed was saying the sky was blue. 

"Maybe I'm done with that." 

"Are you?" She frowned.

He leaned against the wood grain. And yawned. "I gotta get back to my room. Al..." And sleep. Hell, Al was probably still sleeping. "I'm so tired."

And he was. He was stepping out of his boots as he turned the knob. Dropping his coat as he slid between the covers. With no hesitation he pressed his brother's back to him and buried his nose in his hair. He was alive. So alive. And finally, so warm. 

His eyes fluttered shut as he slipped back into unconsciousness. He didn't need anything as long as he had Al.


End file.
